


A present of Love

by RolfB



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27436360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RolfB/pseuds/RolfB
Summary: Rumple has a surprise for Belle.A tiny kitten wonders about her life.Nominated for the category Fluff- comfort in the The Espenson Awards 2021
Relationships: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
Comments: 13
Kudos: 25





	A present of Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jackabelle73](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackabelle73/gifts).



> Hello there, my name is Rolf or reolf on Tumblr. 
> 
> I wrote this a few months back for Jackabelle73 her birthday. I apologize in advance for the word choices or weird grammar mistakes. I am not an English speaker. 
> 
> Peace to you all!

Rumplestilskin was the happiest man in all the realms. Belle had agreed to be his wife. That already was the best gift she could give him. He knew for himself that he couldn’t offer her much but he wanted to do something for her. He wanted to give her a gift. And he knew exactly what. 

David Nolan had told him earlier that week a litter of kittens was found not far away from his farm. The good soul he was, the shepherd had brought them to the animal shelter and they were still waiting for a good home. 

Rumple knew Belle and he knew she absolutely loved cats. He himself was more of a dog lover but he appreciated the cunning creatures who were called cats. And he would do anything to make Belle smile.  
\--

She didn’t know what she had done wrong that her mother had given her away to the humans. Why would she do that? She was always nice to her brothers and sisters, she didn’t bite them! Okay, sometimes she did, but that was all in a friendly way. But still the humans had brought her to a stinky patch of grass, without a blanket. Luckily, they didn’t stay there for long. Soon another human came and brought them to this place where it stank of dog and other animals. But mostly dogs. She had never encountered a dog in her life, but her mother had always told her that dogs stinked the most of any other thing in the world. So she knew the sharpest scent in this place were dogs. It made her uncomfortable and afraid. She missed her mother and her warm fur and her milk and the comforting licks. The only comfort she had here were her siblings being next to her and the warm blankets. At least she had that. 

\--

“ Where are you taking me?” Belle giggled when she took her place in the car. Rumple only smiled and went around the car to get in his place. “ I’m not giving it away, sweetheart. You can try all you want.”  
Rumple had to admit he was a bit nervous for what he was about to do. A kitten or any pet was going to be a big responsibility and he knew that the thing was going to take a lot of attention. He hoped it was going to survive with him in its presence. At least he had Belle to help. 

\--

She was woken by voices. She yawned and opened her eyes. Maybe it was feeding time. She was quite hungry now she thought about it. However, when she looked up, she didn’t see the familiar human she named as "the feeding human". There were three people. One of them she had seen before. The two others not. They were all looking at her and their siblings with interest. What were they doing here?  
\--

When Rumple got into the parking spot next to the animal shelter, Belle had looked at him with an open mouth. “ What are we doing here?” “ You’ll see,” he smiled. Belle was practically bouncing in her seat. She was adorable. This was a good idea. 

“ So, these are the lucky ones,” David opened the gate to the room. “They are all checked by the vet, so don’t worry about that. We have two girls and three boys.” At that moment the kittens came into their vision and he heard Belle gasp next to him.  
" Oh my, they are adorable!" She went with her hands into the box and petted them.  
" You can choose one," said Rumple.  
" How can you possibly choose one, Rumple! They are all so small! How old are they?"  
" Well," David looked a bit hesitant. " We don't know for sure of course, but the vet said something between 9 weeks. Still small, but they are starting to eat the good food. And don't worry about not finding a good home for them. We have quite some people who came to watch them. I'm sure we will find for each one of them a good home. "  
Rumple gave the kittens a closer look. Three of them were jett black, one of them was a tabby and one in particular was dark gray with a white chest. Belle couldn't get enough of them, lifting the kittens and nuzzling them." Which one do you like, Rumple?" She was holding a black kitten. He really didn't know. How do you choose your pet companion out of a litter? It seemed like a cruel choice to make. He knew what it felt like to be abandoned. " I don't know," He couldn't tell which kitten needed a home more. He supposed a black kitten was a good choice for a Dark One, but then wasn't a black cat something that was a stereotype for a witch? He didn't want anything to do with witches. He gave the other two a closer look. Belle was petting the gray kitten. It genuinely seemed to enjoy it, which was a good sign, he guessed. He didn't know why but something about the kitten called to him. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was the way the kitten really nuzzled Belle's hand, but something in the face of the kitten told him this one really missed touch. The others were more playful, but this one was calm. He liked that. " This one," he said, " but this is your present Belle." She smiled." Don't worry, I like this one too." 

\--

She was being petted by the lady. She had soft hands and smelled very nice. And her face was friendly when she lifted her. " What do you think of going with us, young lady?" Going with this lady and man? That wasn't so bad. She liked their smell. It was comforting and it meant that she was going to be freed from this stinking dog place.  
The man and lady put her into a basket with a good soft blanket and there was a bit of confusion as the basket moved, but finally the lady, who held the basket, sat down. The humans started to talk.  
" So, what should we call this little ball of gray? Fluffy, Kitty, White Chest?"  
" You can't be serious. To give any creature a name like that would be the most disrespectful thing to do."  
The lady giggled. " Well, I don't know. We could name her after a character from a book perhaps. Take a closer look at her own personality. "  
She suddenly gasped." Oh no, I know the perfect name! I read this book once about cats, and one of the characters said: The river is like life, always flowing, yet never changing. "  
" So what does that mean? "  
" We could name her after the river of life! River! Her fur is gray, you know. And she will be our companion for life. "  
" I don't dislike it. Very well, River it is. "

So her name was River now? She never had had a name. Was that something humans did? But she did like the sound of it. Companion for life. River. She gave a tiny meow." My name is River. "


End file.
